Extrology: Mastering People, Performance & Purpose

For over 20 years Les Flitcroft was an aerospace engineer. A double arm break and series of life-altering events later, he has embarked on a journey of discovery, leading him to tutoring countless people in the art of Pranic Healing. From overcoming initial skepticism of alternative therapies to embracing the unique way in which Pranic Healing combines Eastern and Western medical philosophies, the...

The multi-faceted business of game development has seen an ever-growing presence in the spotlight in recent years, especially in lieu of an increasing range of free, open source development tools. At a time where blockbuster studios claim the lion’s share of the industry’s worth - upwards of $77bn for mobile gaming alone - Stuart De Ville has seen considerable success with his indie studio, Zap Po...

With a list of credits that include Strictly Come Dancing, The Voice, Little Mix: The Search, and This Morning, there’s no doubt that Andrea Hamilton has earned her stripes in the TV industry.  Behind her success as an accomplished Executive Producer is an admirable display of commitment and determination to follow her instincts, which led her from journalistic aspirations to television success. I...

Sir Ranulph Fiennes describes Jordan Wylie as a determined, fearless adventurer and an inspiring man. A former soldier, best selling author, extreme adventurer and one of the stars of the award-winning TV shows Hunted and Celebrity Hunted, his expeditions - including a staggering number of world firsts - have raised more than £1m for charity.  Having achieved two world records, 10 years of militar...

At the height of the Dot-com Bubble in the late 90s, Bill Carr came across a rare opportunity to be a part of internet-giant, Amazon. After a hugely successful career spanning 15 years as Vice President of Prime Video, Amazon Studios and Amazon Music, he stepped down to reflect on his experience. Bill is now co-author of the newly published ‘Working Backwards’, a first person account of Amazon’s r...

In 2013, one morning commute which turned into a discussion around a shared love of baking spawned a home baking subscription business which has been named one of The Independent’s top 15 food subscriptions two years running. The last 8 years has seen the meteoric rise of Bakedin, the brainchild of one Joseph Munns.  Joseph joins Lee Cooper to share the intimidating leap that saw a career change f...

With the hospitality sector in a state of relative disarray in lieu of the past year’s developments, and the government’s somewhat misguided response trying to help the industry, there are swathes of people begging to return to the kind of experiences and venues that incubate moments of genuine human connection. One man who hopes that his brand, and sector as a whole, emerge stronger than ever wit...

There is no age too early to encourage an entrepreneurial spirit, as evidenced by Russell Merry, whose story takes him from selling newspapers aged 5, to growing cycling company Hot Wheels from £1m to £13.5m annual revenue with 26 employees before selling the brand in 2009. Russell then doubled the revenue of the business continuing as Managing Director at Cycling Sports Group, distributors of Can...

The style of football exhibited by England’s teams has undoubtedly evolved, in part due to a shift in the types of training offered to our rising stars. One man whose contributions to introducing samba-style futsal to the masses have likely shaped some of our current sporting talents is Chris Sharman.  Throughout his decades of sports and leisure experience, Chris has made incredible efforts to pr...

With the advent of website creation tools like Wix and Squarespace, making an impact online now is far easier than in the late 90s, where a young Michael Saunders - fresh from a degree in Film & Video Directing and Producing - began a ‘side job’ which formed the basis for an incredibly prolific digital agency celebrating its 16th year in business. Besides his more explicitly successful fiscal...

Becoming MD of a football club emerging from the throes of their lowest ever final league position at the mere age of 26 is both a great privilege and an intimidating prospect. Now celebrating his 20th year at YMU, Group CEO Neil Rodford has demonstrated an incredible work ethic to make the most of the opportunities offered to him. On episode 10 of Extrology, Neil explains how working harder than...

Amassing a wealth of life experiences is important to equip you with the tools to face the next challenge that life throws at you. Having achieved feats that most will never consider attempting, few people know this better than "The Adventure Psychologist" Paula Reid. From camping in India among tigers at the mere age of 15 to completing the 1000km trek to the South Pole, with every chal...

Sue Anstiss has been championing change for over 30 years, as CEO of Fearless Women, Founding Trustee of the Women’s Sport Trust and Podcast Host of The Game Changers, even earning an MBE in 2018 for her services to grassroots and women’s sport.  She now helps other brands and organisations to help drive change in women’s sport with engaging content, communications, campaigns and consultancy worki...

With streaming services increasing their viewership by 71% this year, the likes of BBC iPlayer and DAZN have kept viewers around the world entertained through some particularly trying times. Who better to offer insight into the world of online video content than the creator of iPlayer and Chief Product Officer at DAZN - Ben Lavender. Having changed the way that most of us consume our online media,...

With an annual revenue of $280bn last year, it’s fair to say Amazon is a permanent fixture in the business world, and it’s here to stay. Navigating the marketplace as a customer is simple, but as a seller it presents a daunting challenge. Paul Adams aims to help navigate this gauntlet, as CEO of Amazon Marketplace Services platform Tambo. His experience on the digital teams for the likes of BA and...

With the recent defence of his Commonwealth cruiserweight boxing title, Chris Billam-Smith is a man who has known both the ecstatic highs that come from mastering his craft, and the pain of defeat on the long road to the top. His incredible professional boxing record is a testament to the resilience he’s built through complete commitment to the sport, and the mental strength required to overcome i...

Having launched beauty products for brands including Crabtree & Evelyn, M&S, Harvey Nichols, Boots and Body Shop, Janet Milner-Walker is an expert in the global beauty industry. Now Founder & Director of Bespoke Advantage, Janet works with clients to develop purposeful brands that have a positive impact on people’s health, beauty and wellbeing on an international scale.  In episode 4 o...

Dave Ashley is the definition of life experience. He's experienced multiple tours of combat operations, broken his back ejecting mid flight across the desert, transitioned from pilot to flight instructor and made the successful switch to civvy street with his business, the Ashley Property Group that he runs with his wife Heather, specialising in portfolio building, property sourcing, land dev...

Matt Macri-Waller impacts the lives of millions of people at work every day. He is a global thought leader in the employee experience space, specialising in bridging the gap between a company and it’s employees.  Matt is the CEO of Benefex, part of the advisory board for KPMG’s Global FinTech 100 Business, Barclays entrepreneur ambassador & advisor, had been nominated as a “Business Hero” by T...

Not many successful business owners advise on how not to launch a business, but Roger Woodall openly does.   Financial struggle, sleepless nights and major factors outside of his control, Roger talks honestly about the pressures (as well as the positives) of building the largest sports & music festival in the world.  Beyond festivals, Roger has a wealth of business knowledge; from his early da...

Hi I'm Lee Cooper; recruiter, connector, business owner, sport's junkie, coffee snob and best of all, Dad. I'm fascinated by what drives the human spirit, and am fortunate to enjoy a job which for 25 years has afforded me the opportunity to interview literally thousand's of inspiring people, from all walks of life. So rather than keep all the good stuff to myself, I figured, wh...